[DraftyAiresMum]

It's been windier here than is normal for this time of year and as a result, Aires' thick, coarse, wavy draft horse mane is a mass of wind knots. Any tips or tricks for removing them, or should I just roach him again?

I'm fine with roaching him, as it actually doesn't look bad on him, but it's just a pain because I have to do it all with a pair of scissors.

This is how bad he is:

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[deserthorsewoman]

Shosheen and patience.
Wet it thoroughly, let it dry, then pull the SINGLE hairs out from above the knot. , one by one. Patience is key. I do all my horses like that, manes and tails.

 

[Chevaux]

I don't think Aires likes that look judging by the expression on his face!!!! I'm dealing with one now, myself. It is a good exercise in patience but once you can get the hairs unwinding again they usually come free. For those that don't, I use my trusty pocket knife to slit through the little tight knots that can happen or cut the salvageable hair from the same knot.

 

[DraftyAiresMum]

Hehe! Actually, he was annoyed with my BF because he kept trying to pet Aires and Aires wanted attention from me, not him. He's very much a momma's boy. ;-)

Looks like I'm going to be spending a lot of time on a step stool. :lol: No way I can keep my left arm up for as long as it'll take to untangle that mess. Why did I pick such a tall horse?! Lol
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[Saddlebag]

I have good luck with corn starch smooshed into the knot. I wish your horse's mane knot was all I have to deal with but my qh has to make a huge rat's nest in his tail by the end of the dock. What I like about the cornstarch is that it doesn't have to be rinsed out so it's good for any weather. If you shorten his mane to about the length of the bottom of that knot it will be easier to look after.

 

[walkinthewalk]

Ditto lots of patience and one hair at a time.

If your arms and shoulders can't take unraveling all of that at one sitting, just do one section a day and keep it combed every day.

I know you board but try your best to get out there every day for awhile. The longer days should make that easier

I would save that worst knot for last. The lesser knots will untangle faster for one thing, they will give you plenty of practice for another

If it makes you feel better: When I was a kid, my horses ran on 98i acres that never got bushogged. During the last weeks of school, when I had to study for exams, I had about enough time thru the week to feed.

By the weekend,not only was I staring all those witches knots in the face they were heavily matter with burrs ---- one big flat mat ---- flip one little piece and the entire mane came up:shock:

I never once cut a mane over that, I picked the mane out one or two hairs at a time, and doing a big "yippee!" If I could get a small hank of hair unwound at once.

Same went for the tails That is why I am so anal about keeping our current pastures bushogged. Keeping the ticks and viper snakes away is secondary :lol:

 

[deserthorsewoman]

Hehe! Actually, he was annoyed with my BF because he kept trying to pet Aires and Aires wanted attention from me, not him. He's very much a momma's boy. ;-)

Looks like I'm going to be spending a lot of time on a step stool. :lol: No way I can keep my left arm up for as long as it'll take to untangle that mess. Why did I pick such a tall horse?! Lol
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Give him some hay or grass, so the head is down, much easier on the arms
I had to start doing it this way with my first Arab. 2 feet of mane and I was certain he'd sit at night and twist strands....

 

[SEAmom]

I agree with the advice to pull the hairs out little by little. Once you get them out, wash and condition the mane and use a leave-in conditioner as the mane is drying. My horse gets those knots, but way worse, in the matter of a couple of days. Washing the mane once every week or so and using the leave-in as that hair dries has done a LOT to help minimize the frequency of knotting, the extent of the knots, and the amount of work required to get them undone again. Plus, his mane in general is much softer and breaks less often. I get a nice, full mane in the summer again.

 

[HombresArablegacy]

My grey mare gets these from tossing her head during bug season. What I've found is that most of them are twisted in one direction. And the knots are usually concentrated near the ends of the mane. I can pick out the individual knots at the end, (looks kind of like a bad braid job) and once that's done un twist the mane and comb it out.
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[DraftyAiresMum]

Thanks for the tips, everyone!

I haven't looked at his tail yet, but I'm sure it's just as bad.

I may hang a hay net and let him snack while I work on it to keep his head lower. I can't feed him in the turnout and do it out there because Bob will come after me (he's the nasty appy that Aires is turned out with...recently he grabbed the BO's 16yo son by the shoulder/back of the neck, threw him down, and trampled over him...all because the BO's son shooed him away while he was picking poop in the turnout :shock: ).

 

[Roman]

I'd like to see after pics of Aires. A hay net might work and I agree with everyone else about getting them out.

About Bob....someone needs to carry a whip and put him in his place whenever he tries to do something. That sounds horrible what he did to BO's son. :shock:
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[DraftyAiresMum]

I'd like to see after pics of Aires. A hay net might work and I agree with everyone else about getting them out.

About Bob....someone needs to carry a whip and put him in his place whenever he tries to do something. That sounds horrible what he did to BO's son. :shock:
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Bob is a big problem for everyone. He's getting "older" (I think he's in his late teens) and as he gets older, his behavior gets worse. I have never seen Bob's owners and, from what my BO and other boarders have said, they never come out. They have tried leasing Bob out to people, but within a month or so, the people leasing will terminate the lease because they can't deal with Bob's horrible behavior. The last person to lease him was a little girl who is a fairly decent rider. She was using him for play days at the barn. She "ran" (read trotted :lol: ) him on barrels one day and he took off bucking like a rodeo bronc for no reason (saddle was checked, saddle pad was checked, bridle/bit was checked, everything was fine).

The one time I tried to reprimand Bob for getting in my space, it almost ended as it did for the BO's son. He came up to me when I was catching Aires one day and so I swung the lead rope at him to get him to back off. Next thing I know, there's a huge scuffle in front of me as Aires placed himself between me and Bob because Bob was coming after me with his ears pinned.

 

[mslady254]

Sonny gets those,but worse,,,I call them dreadlocks. I use Dollar Store Childrens spray detangler,,,,I like it better than anything that is greasy feeling. It works well for me. Also, I work starting BELOW the knot and work my way up,,,just like my own hair when it's tangled,,its much easer to work from the bottom up..

Fay

 

[DraftyAiresMum]

Reviving my old-ish thread...

Would mineral oil work to get these knots loose? We took apart that big one in his mane, but then we realized it was three smaller ones that had snarled together into one big one. *facepalm* I have a bottle of mineral oil at home that I used to condition my bamboo cutting boards that's just sitting there not being used.

 

[Skyseternalangel]

Coconut oil would probably work too

 

[SEAmom]

I would use coconut oil over mineral oil personally. If you use mineral oil, be sure you wash it out.

Btw, I use mineral oil for my cutting boards, too.

 

[DraftyAiresMum]

I'll have to check how expensive coconut oil is.

SEAmom, I love my bamboo cutting boards! My parents got them for me for Christmas. My sister recommended the mineral oil and it's great. They still look brand new and they see a lot of use.

 

[GreySorrel]

Cowboy Magic ladies....I LOVE the stuff when Trixie, who is a draft, gets witches knots...rub a dollop in your hands, run it over, around, massage into the knot, then start from the bottom and taking your time, they will come out. The Cowboy Magic also keeps the mane from knotting up for a bit too.

 

[waresbear]

Scotty gets those, I call them "witchknots". I remove them very easily with this:
ShowSheen® Detangler Gel | Horse Grooming Supplies | Absorbine

It is Argan oil based, no silicone.